Matt’s March Training 2014

After dealing with injury after injury, going to doctors, and taking time off I’m trying a new tactic and simply getting back at it.  I’m not fully healed but it’s time to start going again with hope that my sore spots will gradually go away as I get back into a normal running routine.  Fingers crossed.

3/18/14

Ran the outer loop at GL after one of my final exams this morning.  Chilly out but not raining.  Did 75 minutes total.  Left hip flexor and right quad are still sore; these have been my enabling muscles due to the sore left foot.  The foot isn’t any worse and is definitely better than post-Chuckanut day one and two.  I can’t help but think about doing Dizzy Days this coming Saturday.  If the foot gets any better through tomorrow, I may well still sign up.  I am looking for time on my feet and this sounds like a fun way to get in some good time.

3/17/14

Right back at it.  Met with Arya at the GL track for his workout.  I ended up feeling good enough to do the entire workout with him.  16 minute warm up.  20 minute tempo at 7:07, 7:02, and change.  Jogged an easy 2k and then went into 2x[2×200 + 1×400].  38, 38, 82, 40, 38, 82.  Took anywhere from 200 to 600 meter jog rests in between as needed.  17 minute easy cool down.  Good working with Arya.  He is new to these types of workouts but we worked well together and he is quickly adapting.  He was able to hold pace consistently throughout the workout.

On the injury front, my foot, while feeling really roughed up yesterday, is feeling much better today.  I iced and babied my foot like crazy since the race and after a quick warm up today, I was feeling good.  It hurt a bit when we started up the 200’s but even then it loosened up and felt good running the faster pace.  My quads and hip flexors are feeling a bit sore today from the race but I think the workout was good for my recovery.

Crazy warm up story: I was clobbered by a dog and subsequently knocked over a little girl.  Arya and I were jogging through Woodland Park on the warm up and a bunch of kids, 2 to 3 years old, were all around the trail.  As Arya and I were weaving our way through the mess of kids I was suddenly and inexplicably knocked off my feet.  Next thing I knew I was on the ground along with one of the little kids; she immediately began to bawl.  The care takers were quick to help us both and it was then that I noticed the big black dog with a ball in its mouth.  Apparently, the dog was chasing the ball, thrown by one of the caregivers, and while chasing the ball, the dog barreled right through my legs taking both me and a small child out in the process.  Thankfully, the girl was merely in shock and I was only slightly banged up from the fall.  Firsts for everything I guess.

3/15/14

I am an idiot, but at least I’m a happy idiot.  I simply couldn’t help myself.  We were at Chuckanut, I had a new 7Hills jersey, and I had already paid for the race.  Come on, what’s a guy to do?!  So 20 minutes before the start I got my bib and decided to spend the day with my wife.

50k in 5:51.  Tough course for going fast (though Max King still managed to run 3:35 out there, crazy).  My foot felt fine for the flat stuff without things to destabilize it.  The ridge line up top with all its crazy rocks and roots really got me hurting though.  My form changed and then on the last big downhill my left hip flexor got good and sore as it’d been doing a lot of compensating.  However, once we got back to the flat, smooth stuff to finish up, most of my pains went away and we finished up the run.

Julie ran hard and it was really enjoyable to be out there with her.  She struggled at times with the hills and with keeping her calorie uptake as it should be.

I’m icing like crazy now, rubbing it out, and wearing a compression sleeve over my ankle, and popping anti-inflammatories like an addict in an effort to get the pain down quickly so I can keep on running.  I’m feeling confident about my chances and look forward to more running adventures in the near future.

3/14/14

Oh hell, I’ve run four days in a row and the pain ain’t getting any worse.  In fact, today was the best day yet and I ran for 75 minutes, close to 10 miles around GL.  Sunny skies and warm temps too.  I’m a head case – what seasoned long distance runner isn’t? I was sitting in class today before the race rubbing my sore ankle.  I had my calf sleeves on and thought to pull it down over my ankle and compress that area.  Probably a placebo effect but my foot felt better for the rest of school today and for the majority of the run.  The third lap hurt the least.  Weird, I know.  I couldn’t help but think about Dizzy Days again on each of my three loops.  I also picked up my new green 7Hills jersey and for crying out loud, I need to use it!

3/13/14

Ran 50 minutes around Green Lake today. Beautiful weather and smooth running.  I could feel the left ankle/foot along the way but it wasn’t debilitating.  I tried out different running forms and speeds to see how it’d impact the foot and nothing was particularly good or particularly painful.  I couldn’t help but think about Dizzy Days as I ran around the lake a couple times…

3/12/14

30 minutes around Green Lake and Woodland Park after class.  Foot feeling the same as yesterday:  there is a tender spot right below the left ankle but it’s bearable and doesn’t hurt really bad as I strike the ground.  It hurts most when I push on the sore area.  Gorgeous March day in Seattle.  SO good to be running again. ~7:30 pace.

3/11/14

Ran at the Green Lake track with Arya.  Did his warmup and cool downs with him, 16 minutes each time.  I also ran 4×200 with him at 40 seconds each.  No particularly bad pains, just dull ache around the left ankle/arch area.  Didn’t get worse, nothing I did made it better.  Ice water in the bathtub to soak after the run.  Feels best when I get out of bed in the morning and gets more sore the more I’m on it.

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